Wireless animal training, monitoring and remote control system

ABSTRACT

A method of updating firmware on a wireless animal communication system and communicating by the system including locating and downloading new firmware and wireless transferring to a device for the animal and send message in real time from the device for the animal to external devices.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This Patent Application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/027,217, filed on Jul. 21,2014, entitled WIRELESS ANIMAL TRAINING, MONITORING AND REMOTE CONTROLSYSTEM, the entire content of which is hereby expressly incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

Conventional wireless dog training systems, commonly known as electricfence systems, use a transmitter to transmit radio signals to a dogcollar in order to determine the dog's location. These systems can applyvarious stimuli to the dog via the dog collar in order to train the dogto not leave the electric fence perimeter. Electric fence systemstypically operate in the 28 to 433 MHz range as allowed by the FCC orthe regulatory agency of the particular county or region in which thesystem is used. Such systems typically have a fixed set of controls atthe transmitter and a fixed number of outputs at the collar with nomeans to monitor the behavior of the animal or record the effect of thecollar's outputs on the animal. The receiver used by such dog collarssystems have no capability to send data back to a human operator.

Unlike in the electric fence industry, in the field of wireless mobiledevice technology, external devices exist that have the capability tosend data back to a human operator. External devices, such as heart ratemonitors, are capable of providing information regarding the human usingthe external device back to a wireless mobile device. There are severalcommercially available protocols that link external devices to awireless mobile device in real time to provide information regarding thehuman operator. Such available protocols may include networked,point-to-point and cellular protocols, the most commonly used wirelessprotocols being Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. For example, wireless mobiledevices may be linked via a wireless protocol to external fitnessdevices that contain human fitness monitoring inputs. A softwareapplication in the wireless mobile device analyses the data from thefitness device and provides a human user with information regarding thefitness of the human user that may be useful in structuring an exerciseroutine.

However, systems involving external devices and wireless mobile devicesthat relay information regarding the state of an animal, such as a pet,to the human user are far more limited in capabilities and scope,focusing primarily on the location of the animal. One current systemuses a smart phone to display the location of an animal-worn device.Location information is determined by a GPS locator in the device andthat information is communicated to the smart phone via a cellularnetwork. Another similar system, designed to locate an animal via GPSand display the location with a smart phone, also communicates limitedinformation related to the animal's movements such as the speed anddistance the animal has traveled during a certain period of time. Suchinformation is collected at the collar presumably from an accelerometerand from the GPS data stored in the animal-worn device and thentransmitted to the smart phone via a cellular network at some laterpoint in time.

Another system, designed to contain an animal within a predeterminedboundary, uses high frequency radio frequency coupling of a basetransceiver and animal-worn device. Two-way communication between thetransceivers is primarily for the purpose of ranging between thetransceivers using chirp spread spectrum techniques to determine thetime of flight of the signal and therefore, the distance between the twodevices. When the animal-worn device is at a distance from the basetransceiver greater than a predetermined value, the animal automaticallyreceives a corrective stimulus generated by the animal-worn device.Information available to the human user is limited to what can besurmised by the ranging data, such as number of times the animal hasbreached the boundary.

Another system is a trackable sticker that can be adhered to an item,such as car keys or a pet, and tracked with a mobile device application.The sticker transmits a signal via Bluetooth technology to a mobiledevice for the purpose of locating said item via Received SignalStrength Indication (RSSI). The mobile device application allows thehuman user to set an alarm if the item leaves a selected range or comeswithin a selected range.

Finally, there exists a system, developed by the current inventor, thatuses an animal-worn collar to control animal devices via an ultrasoniccontrol signal. (See Bonge, U.S. Pat. No. 5,872,516 and U.S. Pat. No.RE41,629.) This system provides a one-way communication from ananimal-worn collar to a remote device but does not allow for the flow ofdata from the collar to the human operator.

Although these systems can be used for locating animals, there is a needfor a system that allows communication between an animal-worn device anda wireless mobile device to facilitate two-way communication between awireless mobile device and an animal-worn device whereby the animal-worndevice has inputs and outputs allowing a human to send real-timetraining stimuli to the animal and/or to collect useful data inreal-time from the animal-worn device.

It is also desirable to create a system and method for a human toestablish communication with the animal-worn device for the purpose oftraining and conditioning the health and fitness of the animal. It isfurther desirable for the system to allow the human to change andredefine commands or outputs as necessary and to input informationpertaining to the specific characteristics of the animal, such asspecies, breed, size, weight, age and the like. It is further desirableto integrate into an animal-worn device a device to allow an animalwearing the transceiver to control other apparatuses in said animal'senvironment, for example, an automatic pet door.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the current invention provide a powerful tool forremotely training animals and/or monitoring different aspects pertainingto an animal, such as its behavior, health, fitness and environment.Embodiments provide a multi-functional animal-worn device capable ofreceiving and sending various inputs and outputs, respectively, from/toa wireless mobile device. For example, signals may be sent from thewireless mobile device to activate outputs at the animal-worn device andthe animal-worn device may send back acknowledgement of signal receiptand confirmation that a certain function was successfully performed. Theanimal-worn device may also collect data pertaining to its inputs andwirelessly send it to the wireless mobile device. Embodiments of theanimal-worn device may interact with software applications on thewireless mobile device to allow for a variety of functions, including,but not limited to, the transfer of commands or stimuli to the animal,the transfer of data regarding the animal or its environment to thewireless mobile device, and/or the transfer of instructions from theanimal-worn device to an external device. The animal-worn device mayinclude all or some of these various functions.

Commercially available wireless mobile devices used for the animaltraining and/or monitoring system may include a variety of known mobiledevices that contain wireless communication functionality, such as smartphones and tablets. Commands, data and firmware may be sent to theanimal-worn device from the wireless mobile device utilizing the mobiledevice's existing communication protocols. The communication protocolused may be, for example, point-to-point, networked or cellularcommunication protocols. Commonly used networked and point-to-pointcommunication protocols include WiFi and Bluetooth, respectively. Themost commonly used cellular communication protocol makes use of GSM(Global System for Mobile Communications) or CDMA (Code DivisionMultiple Access) protocols. Any of these protocols may facilitateone-way or two-way wireless communication between the human and theanimal-worn device.

Making use of the wireless and application executing capabilities ofcommercially available wireless mobile devices and coupling such mobiledevices to the animal-worn device, further embodiments provide an animaltraining and/or monitoring system that a human user may configure withincredible flexibility. Wireless mobile device applications may bespecifically tailored to the needs of a particular individual or group,such as sportsmen, law enforcement or pet owners, and may be changed andupdated by wirelessly modifying the animal-worn devices without therequirement of physical changes to the animal-worn devices. In someembodiments, wireless mobile device applications may be able to sendalerts, such as via email, SMS, website postings (e.g., Facebook,Twitter, etc.) or instant messaging, alerting the user of the conditionof the animal based on information received from the animal-worn device.

Some embodiments of the invention utilize the wireless capability of theanimal-worn devices to allow the animal to control external devices. Forexample, some embodiments of the invention allow the animal to controlremotely operated devices, such as pet doors or automatic feeders, viawireless communications protocols. Other embodiments may also (oralternatively) provide a system for animals to control remotely operatedapparatus such as electronic fences, barriers and the like. Accordingly,the animal-worn device may use signals emitted by various externaldevices as data inputs or to control its outputs.

Embodiments of the current invention may include one or more inputs atthe animal-worn device, including, for example, a transceiver to receiveinputs from the wireless mobile device, a vibration sensor, atemperature sensor, an accelerometer, a microphone, an audio recorder, aheart rate monitor, a magnetometer, a GPS locator, an auxiliary radioreceiver, a photosensor, a conductivity sensor, a humidity sensor, awater sensor, a gyroscope and a camera. Embodiments of the currentinvention may include one or more outputs at the animal-worn device,including, for example, a transceiver to send inputs to the wirelessmobile device, a shock generator, a spray module, an audio processor, atone generator, a speaker, a lamp, a vibration generator and anauxiliary radio transmitter. Although certain embodiments detailedherein describe various uses for the various inputs and outputs, theseare merely a representative few of the numerous applications that theseinputs and outputs that can provide within the scope of the invention.

Some embodiments of the invention allow the human operating the wirelessmobile device to activate training stimuli to train and condition theanimal using some of the above inputs and outputs. For example, someembodiments allow the human operator to control an animal's behavior,such as unwanted barking, or create a boundary to limit the animal'smovement. Such embodiments may also keep track of data related to thetraining, such as the number of times a dog has barked during a certainperiod or the number of times the animal has come into the field of aproximity sensor.

Further embodiments monitor the animal's behavior or health and fitness.For example, embodiments may monitor the speed at which an animal ismoving and/or the animal's body temperature, heart rate and other vitalsigns. Other embodiments may also monitor environmental data, such astemperature and precipitation.

The specific inputs and outputs of the animal-worn device allow for thefunctionality of these different embodiments, and any of the differentinputs and outputs may be combined in the animal-worn device dependingon the needs of the human operator. For example, a pet owner desiring totrain his pet may only require animal-worn device with inputs andoutputs that provide such functionality, whereas another pet ownerdesiring to train her pet and to monitor the health and fitness of heranimal may require the inputs and outputs related to training and tomonitor health and fitness. On the other hand, a law enforcement officerin a K9 unit or a disabled person with a guide dog may require adifferent set of functionality. Some embodiments of the currentinvention provide a wide range of functionality based on the inclusionof multiple inputs and outputs, allowing the human operator to choosewhich functions he would like to use.

Further embodiments of the invention facilitate a real-time data linkbetween the wireless mobile device and a remote server having thecapacity of complex data analysis. The server may modify the wirelessmobile device application and may also modify firmware at theanimal-worn device. These modifications may update the way that thewireless mobile device manipulates the animal-worn device's inputs andoutputs, thus modifying the way in which the animal is monitored andcontrolled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the embodiments of the invention willbecome apparent from the following description taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the invention wherein a wireless mobiledevice communicates with an animal-worn device via a point-to-pointwireless connection.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the invention wherein a plurality ofwireless computing devices communicates with the animal-worn device viawireless routers and the internet.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the invention wherein the animal-worndevice communicates wirelessly with a personal computer which in turncommunicates with the wireless mobile device via wireless routers andthe internet.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the invention wherein the animal worntransceiver communicates wirelessly with the wireless mobile devicewhich in turn communicates with the server and the personal computer viathe internet.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the invention wherein the wireless mobiledevice communicates with the animal-worn device via a cellular network.

FIG. 6 shows the animal-worn device in wireless communication withexternal apparatuses.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the animal worn transceiver.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a remote transceiver device.

FIG. 9 is a perspective front view of the animal-worn device.

FIG. 10 is a perspective rear view of the animal worn transceiver ofFIG. 9.

FIG. 11 shows the wireless mobile device with a display screendisplaying a list of pre-programmed applications on the wireless mobiledevice.

FIG. 12 shows a first training graphical interface that may load whenthe “Training” application is selected on the wireless mobile device.

FIG. 13 shows a second training graphical interface being displayed onthe graphic display panel of the wireless mobile device as part of the“Training” application.

FIG. 14 shows the third training graphical interface being displayed onthe graphic display panel of the wireless mobile device as part of the“Training” application.

FIG. 15 shows a human user using a speaker to provide a voice command tothe animal according to this embodiment of the “Training” application.

FIG. 16 shows a fourth training graphical interface that may bedisplayed when the human user is using the “Training” applicationaccording to FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 shows a first bark control graphical interface being displayedon the graphic display panel of the wireless mobile device that may loadwhen the “Bark Control” application is selected on the wireless mobiledevice.

FIG. 18 shows a second bark control graphical interface that may bedisplayed on the graphic display panel of the wireless mobile device aspart of the “Bark Control” application.

FIG. 19 shows an example of the human using the “Leash Control”application to tether the animal.

FIG. 20 shows a first leash control graphical interface being displayedon the graphic display panel of the wireless mobile device that may loadwhen the “Leash Control” application is selected on the wireless mobiledevice.

FIG. 21 shows a second leash control graphical interface that may bedisplayed on the graphic display panel of the wireless mobile device aspart of the “Leash Control” application.

FIG. 22 is a representational diagram of an animal containment systemthat may be controlled by an “Electronic Fence” application on thewireless mobile device 4.

FIG. 23 is a representational diagram of an animal containment systemthat may be controlled by a “Wireless Fence” application on the wirelessmobile device 4.

FIG. 24 shows a first fitness graphical interface being displayed on thegraphic display panel of the wireless mobile device that may load whenthe “Fitness” application is selected on the wireless mobile device.

FIG. 25 shows a second fitness graphical interface being displayed onthe graphic display panel of the wireless mobile device as part of the“Fitness” application.

FIG. 26 shows a third fitness graphical interface being displayed on thegraphic display panel of the wireless mobile device as part of the“Fitness” application.

FIG. 27 is a block diagram of a firmware upload from the wireless mobiledevice to the animal-worn device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-5 provide examples of different methods and protocols by whichan animal-worn device 1 may communicate with a wireless mobile device 4.The wireless mobile device 4 may be capable of communicating with theanimal-worn device 1 by any combination of the following methods andprotocols.

FIG. 1 shows the animal-worn device 1 wirelessly paired to the wirelessmobile device 4 via a direct, point-to-point connection. The animal-worndevice 1 may be affixed by means of flexible strap 2 to an animal 3. Thewireless mobile device 4 wirelessly paired to the animal-worn device 1may be a so-called smart phone or tablet with the capability ofexecuting preprogramed applications. Currently, the predominant deviceswith this capability utilize the iOS operating system proprietary toApple Corporation or the Android operating system proprietary to Google.Other currently available operating systems include Blackberry andWindows. The current embodiment requires that the wireless mobile device4 be capable of executing a pre-programmed application and be capable ofwirelessly communicating with an external device. Many commerciallyavailable wireless mobile devices incorporate ancillary radiotransceivers, separate from that used for cellular communication, forthe purpose of exchanging data over relatively short distances. Suchtransceivers typically operate in the 2.4 gigahertz range andcommunicate via Bluetooth or WiFi protocols. Referring again to FIG. 1,the animal-worn device 1 includes a radio transceiver (see, e.g.,transceiver 15 of FIG. 7, discussed below) using compatible frequenciesand protocols to wirelessly communicate and exchange data with anancillary transceiver of the wireless mobile device 4. For this purpose,the Bluetooth protocol is particularly useful because it is configuredfor direct one-to-one pairing. The Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocolhas the advantage of very low energy consumption per unit time whileachieving practical ranges upward of 400 feet with future designspredicted to achieve working ranges upward of 2,500 feet. WiFi has theadvantage of being able to transmit and receive large amounts of dataper unit of time making it practical for transmitting audio and videosignals over approximately the same distance ranges as the Bluetoothdevices with the disadvantage of higher energy consumption. In additionto WiFi and Bluetooth protocols, the radio transceiver of theanimal-worn device 1 can be configured to wirelessly communicate andexchange data via other protocols at a variety of frequencies.

FIG. 2 shows an example of data being exchanged with the animal-worndevice 1 via a wireless network. The network may include otherprogrammable devices, such as personal computer 5. The animal-worndevice 1 in this embodiment may also be capable of exchanging data viaother methods, such as the previously discussed point-to-pointconnection. The animal-worn transceiver 1 may communicate with thepersonal computer 5 and the wireless mobile device 4 via wirelessrouters 7 and 8 and the internet using a communication protocol, such asIEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi. This allows a human to monitor and control the animal3 remotely via a wide choice of devices, including the wireless mobiledevice 4. Wireless linking of the animal-worn device 1 to a wirelessnetwork such as WiFi may also be used to monitor and control the animal3 at a long range. The animal-worn device 1 sends and receives wirelesssignals via wireless routers 7 and 8 which may be linked to the wirelessmobile device 4. A human user may then, at considerable distance,communicate with the animal-worn device 1 via the internet 6.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the animal-worn device 1 communicating withthe personal computer 5 via a protocol such as Bluetooth. This isadvantageous since many commercially available personal computingdevices include wireless capability, such as Bluetooth. The personalcomputer 5 communicates with other devices such as the wireless mobiledevice 4 via routers 7 and 8 and the internet. It is common forcomputing devices to connect to the internet wirelessly using the WiFiprotocol. In a further embodiment, the animal-worn device 1 may use alow energy communication protocol, such as Bluetooth low energy BLE,while devices such as the personal computer 5 and the wireless mobiledevice 4 may take advantage of higher data rates from a more energyconsumptive communication protocol, such as WiFi.

FIG. 4 shows an example of data from the animal-worn device 1 being sentto the wireless mobile device 4 and relayed via the internet to a remoteserver 106. The remote server 106 may contain dynamic software that maysend push messages to the wireless mobile device 4 or even tailor newfirmware to be downloaded by the animal-worn device 1 based on the inputdata received. Indeed, the animal-worn transceiver 1 may acquire newsoftware or firmware including input/output and data analysis programsfrom the wireless mobile device 4. As illustrated in FIG. 4, newfirmware may be acquired wirelessly by the wireless mobile device 4 fromthe personal computer 5 or from the remote server 106 via the internet6. In addition, connection to the internet 6 may allow the wirelessmobile device 4 to send data collected at the animal-worn device 1 tothe remote server 106, which may use more sophisticated programs toanalyze the collected data and may send back useful messages to thewireless mobile device 4.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the animal-worn device 1 includes awireless telephone receiver (see, e.g., antenna 14 of FIG. 7, discussedbelow), which communicates with the wireless mobile device 4 over acellular network 9 by way of cellular communication towers 10 and 11,effectively allowing a human to monitor and control the animal 3 fromany point on Earth that has access to a wireless telephone network, suchas GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), CDMA (Code divisionmultiple access) or others. Linking the animal-worn device 1 and thewireless mobile device 4 via the cellular network 9 may allow the humanuser to call up the animal-worn device 1 and establish directcommunication for the purpose of long range monitoring of the inputs andactivation of the outputs at the animal-worn device 1 from any locationthat has cellular access. In this embodiment, the animal-worntransceiver 1 contains a cellphone transceiver 143, which may beaccessed over the cellular network 9 by the wireless mobile device 4whenever a human wishes to activate outputs or monitor inputs at theanimal-worn device 1. Accordingly, the animal-worn device 1 may initiatecommunication with the wireless mobile device 4 when a particular inputcondition has occurred. For example, the animal-worn device 1 mayinitiate communication when a sensor (see, e.g., microphone 22 and audiorecorder 23 of FIG. 7, discussed below) at the animal-worn device 1detects that the animal 3 is barking excessively. The human userreceiving the communication via the wireless mobile device 4 may thenactivate an output at the animal-worn device 1. For example, the humanuser may remotely trigger a training tone or electric shock stimulus, tocorrect the undesired behavior. Obviously, many other scenarios areencompassed by the current invention wherein outputs of the animal-worndevice 1 may be monitored and controlled by the wireless mobile device 4over the cellular network 9.

Once data exchange is established between the animal-worn device 1 andthe wireless mobile device 4, a pre-programmed application (orapplications) on the wireless mobile device 4 is employed to operateinputs and outputs at the animal-worn device 1 for purposes includingtraining, containing and monitoring the behavior, health, physicalfitness of animal 3 and/or monitoring and controlling selected devicesin animal's 3 environment. The pre-programmed applications may beinstalled on the wireless mobile device 4 and embodiments of suchapplications are described below with reference to FIGS. 11-26.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment wherein the animal-worn device 1 maycommunicate with at least one external apparatus for the purpose ofremotely controlling that apparatus. For example, the animal-worn device1 may control an automatic pet door 12, where the radio signal emittedby the animal-worn device 1 may cause the automatic pet door 12 to open,allowing the animal 3 to pass through whenever the animal-worn device 1is within a predetermined distance. The distance can be determined, forexample, by using the received signal strength of the animal-worndevice's 1 wireless signal. Alternatively, a remote transceiver 13 maycommunicate with the animal-worn device 1 and detect when the animal 3is within a predetermined distance using the received signal strength ofthe animal-worn device's 1 wireless signal or other ranging or proximitysensing techniques. The remote transceiver device 13 may then send asignal to the animal-worn device 1 instructing it to activate selectedoutputs according to a set of pre-programmed instructions. For example,the remote transceiver device 13 may be used as an area restrictiondevice wherein it instructs the animal-worn device 1 to activate a shockoutput whenever the animal 3 comes within a predetermined distance.Alternatively, the remote transceiver device 13 may be used as awireless fence device wherein it instructs the animal-worn device 1 toactivate a shock output whenever the animal 3 goes outside of apredetermined distance. Data may be stored in the animal-worn device 1,such as the number of times the animal 3 has come within or left thepredetermined distance. The data may be sent to the wireless mobiledevice 4 in real-time or at a later time via one of the communicationprotocols previously described. A software application on the wirelessmobile device 4 may allow the data to be displayed on the wirelessmobile device 4. This same software application, or a differentapplication, on the wireless mobile device 4 may be used by the humanoperator to send inputs to the remote transceiver device 13. Forexample, the human user may input the predetermined distance inembodiments where the remote transceiver device 13 is used as an arearestriction device or wireless fence.

The remote transceiver device 13 may also possess control device capablyof controlling various appliances, such that those appliances may beswitched on or off when the animal-worn device 1 is within apredetermined distance. The remote transceiver 13 may thereby, bepre-programmed to perform a plurality of useful tasks such as turning onthe lights when the animal 3 enters the room, activating automated foodor water dispensers and other useful apparatuses that may be used toautomate the care and safety of the animal 3. Control of apparatuses maybe digital, as in the case of turning lights off and on, or analog, forexample setting the lights at a predetermined intensity level based uponthe condition of certain of animal-worn transceiver inputs. The remotetransceiver device 13 may also communicate with the wireless mobiledevice 4 or the other wireless devices previously described for dynamiccontrol of the animal's 3 environment. For example, the remotetransceiver 13 may receive instructions in real time from the wirelessmobile device 4 or other wireless devices instructing it to turn onsprinklers or air conditioning when the animal's 3 temperature risesabove a predetermined set point. For another example, the remotetransceiver 13 may be instructed to turn on soothing music when theanimal 3 is whining. A wide variety of pre-programmed tasks are possibleusing external devices wirelessly in communication with the wirelessmobile device 4 and the animal-worn transceiver 1.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of the animal-worn transceiver 1 andcomponents that may be included in it. The animal-worn device 1 includesan antenna 14 or the like to send signals to and receive signals fromthe wireless mobile device 4, the wireless router 5 and/or the cellularnetwork 9 as previously described. The animal-worn device 1 includes atransceiver 15, which contains at least one radio transceiver and mayinclude a processor to modulate and condition incoming and outgoingsignals. For example, a wireless protocol processor 16 may be includedto condition signals to conform to the particular wireless protocolbeing used, such as Bluetooth, WiFi or other wireless protocols. Thereare currently commercially available integrated circuits which performthe functions of the antenna 14, the transceiver 15 and the wirelessprotocol processor 16 in a single chip that may be used in place ofseparate components. Such integrated circuits typically employ Bluetoothor WiFi protocols.

The animal-worn device 1 may also include a decryption module 17, whichmay be necessary for communicating with an operating system of awireless mobile device that encrypts its wireless signals, such as isthe case with many such mobile devices currently. Specifically, thedecryption module 17 may be necessary to decrypt some communicationmodes of the Apple iOS operating system in order for the animal-worndevice 1 to communicate with devices running that operating system.

The animal-worn device 1 includes a main processor 18 to control logicand input/output functions based upon pre-programmed instructions andexternal commands received from the wireless mobile device 4, thepersonal computer 5 and/or other external devices such as the remotetransceiver device 13. The main processor 18 contains software allowingthe animal-worn device 1 to communicate with one or more of thepreviously described wireless devices. It may also contain self-awaresoftware that communicates directly with the previously describedexternal devices and may activate outputs at the animal-worn device 1according to pre-programmed instructions independent of or in tandemwith an application contained in the wireless mobile device 4, thepersonal computer 5 and/or other wireless computing devices.

Reference numbers 19-29 and 107-110 are examples of input devices thatmay be included in the animal-worn device 1 to feed data to the mainprocessor 18. The animal-worn device 1 may include one or more of theseinput devices. Information from an input device may be received by themain processor 18 and then output to the wireless mobile device 4, forexample, via the wireless protocol processor 16. Reference numerals33-40 are examples of output devices which may be integrated into thehardware of the animal-worn device 1 and controlled by the mainprocessor 18. The animal-worn device 1 may include one or more of theseoutput devices. Outputs may include information sent to these outputdevices from the main processor 18 and/or information sent from the mainprocessor 18 to the wireless mobile device 4, for example, via thewireless protocol processor 16. It may not be necessary for allfunctions and inputs and/or outputs of the animal-worn device 1 to beoperating at all times. When the animal 3 is at rest, for example, mainprocessor 18 may shut down certain functions and/or input and outputdevices to reduce energy consumption.

Input devices that may be included in the animal-worn device 1 will nowbe discussed in detail with reference to FIG. 7.

The animal-worn device 1 may include a vibration sensor 19 to detect anutterance, such as a dog bark, made by the animal 3 by directlydetecting the motion of the animal's 3 vocal cords. Such detection maybe done alone or in tandem with a microphone 22. The animal-worn device1 may include a temperature sensor 20 capable of measuring an ambientenvironmental temperature and/or the animal's 3 body temperature.

The animal-worn device 1 may include an accelerometer 21 to detectchanges in the animal's 3 speed or direction of motion. Theaccelerometer 21 may incorporate a multi-axis and gyroscopicarchitecture that may be used to automatically activate selected outputsbased upon the animal's speed and direction of motion. In a furtherembodiment, the accelerometer 21 may be used in conjunction with a GPSlocator 26 and a gyroscope 109 to determine the location of theanimal-worn transceiver 1 to a high degree of accuracy, especially whenthe main processor 18 is enhanced with software that uses data from theaccelerometer 21 and the gyroscope 109 to compensate for GPS locationerror. Another embodiment uses the accelerometer 21 as a pedometer bydetecting the movements of the animal-worn transceiver 1 along thevertical axis that are generated as the animal 3 takes steps. Each stepcreates a vertical oscillation that represents forward movement of theanimal 3 that, when multiplied by the distance of the animal's 3 gate,provides a precise measurement of the distance of the animal's 3 forwardmovement. When mathematically divided by the time between each step, aprecise measurement of animal's 3 velocity may also be determined. Ofcourse, there are numerous other embodiments in which an onboardaccelerometer may be useful.

The animal-worn device 1 may include a microphone 22 to detect ananimal's utterance as a noninvasive alternative to using vibrationsensor 19. Detection of such utterances may be useful in order tocontrol unwanted sounds, such as barking, from the animal 3. For thepurposes of dog bark detection, software in the main processor 18 may beinstalled that compares incoming audio signals from the microphone 22with the audio voice characteristics of a typical dog bark. These audiovoice characteristics may include frequency, pulse duration andamplitude. Even more sophisticated bark detection may be achieved byfeeding the signal from the microphone 22 to the audio recorder 23 torecord the audio waveform of animal's 3 bark. The audio waveform maythen be digitally stored in the processor 18. The audio waveform of anysubsequent incoming bark may then be compared to the stored audiowaveform. If the two waveforms are determined by predetermined criteriato be substantially similar, the processor 18 may initiate a behavioralcorrection sequence using one or more of output devices 33-40. Thistechnique effectively tunes the bark detection to the specific voice ofanimal 3. The microphone 22 may also be capable of detecting sounds inthe environment of the animal 3 for any of a variety of purposes,including determining the location of the animal 3, should it becomelost, or recording an audio history of the animal's 3 comings and goingsby feeding its audio signals to audio recorder 23 and storing an audiorecord in the processor 18. The microphone 22 may also be capable ofrecording human voice. Such voice recordings may be used, for example,to directly record verbal audio commands to be used as outputs.

The animal-worn device 1 may include a heart rate monitor 24 to aid inmonitoring the health of the animal 3 and may be used to assist thehuman user in properly exercising the animal 3. The heart rate monitor24 may be integrated into the animal-worn device 1 or may be a separateexternal device to be worn by the animal 3, for example, as a harness.

The animal-worn device 1 may include a magnetometer 25 to measurechanges in the Earth's magnetic field. Heading information frommagnetometer 25 may be combined with roll and pitch data from theaccelerometer 21 in the main processor 18 to calculate the exactorientation of animal-worn device 1 as it moves.

The animal-worn device 1 may include a GPS locator 25 to detect theposition on the Earth of the animal-worn transceiver 1 using the GlobalPositioning System via communication with the GPS satellites. Alternateembodiments may use a GLONASS receiver to communicate with the GLONASSsatellites in the same way. Such an input device is useful in trackingthe whereabouts of animal-worn device 1 and accordingly the location ofthe animal 3. Combining data from the accelerometer 21, the magnetometer25, the gyroscope 109 and the GPS locator 26 results in the ability totrack and locate the animal-worn device 1 with a high degree ofaccuracy. Embodiments, such as the above, may be used to contain theanimal 3 within certain boundaries or to track the general location ofthe animal 3.

The animal-worn device 1 may include an auxiliary radio receiver 26 suchas a low frequency type radio receiver used to detect the position ofthe radio receiver relative to a wire loop boundary antenna for thepurpose of animal containment. Alternatively, the auxiliary radioreceiver 26 may be used to wirelessly generate an invisible boundarywithin which the animal 3 is to be contained.

The animal-worn device 1 may include a photo sensor 28 to detect thelight level in the animal's 3 environment. In one embodiment, the mainprocessor 18 may activate selected outputs in daylight and a differentset of outputs at night based on the detected light levels from thephoto sensor 28.

The animal-worn device 1 may include a conductivity sensor 29 to detectthe electrical conductivity, impedance and/or capacitance between shockelectrodes 43 and 44, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in order to detect andinsure that the electrodes 43 and 44 are making sufficient contact withthe animal's 3 skin so that the animal 3 may receive the stimulusgenerated by a shock generator 33.

The animal-worn device 1 may include a humidity sensor 107 to detectambient humidity for use in monitoring the animal's 3 environment. Datafrom the humidity sensor 107 may be incorporated into programs used inthe wireless mobile device's applications related to the animal's 3health and fitness. The animal-worn device 1 may also include a watersensor 108 to determine when the animal 3 is in a rainy environment orif animal 3 has immersed itself in water such as a pool, lake or ocean.This may be used in conjunction with the conductivity sensor 29 todetermine if the animal is immersed in salt water.

As discussed above, the animal-worn device 1 may include the gyroscope109 to detect the orientation of the animal-worn transceiver 1. Thegyroscope 109 may be used to correctly interpret incoming wirelesssignals that may attenuate based upon the orientation of the animal-worntransmitter 1 relative to the axis of the emitted wireless signal waves.For example, the RSSI of a wireless signal typically varies greatlydepending upon the relative orientation of the device receiving thewireless signal. Attenuation of RSSI based upon device orientation maybe corrected using a gyroscope to more accurately measure distancebetween the emission source and the device.

The animal-worn device 1 may include a camera 110. The camera 110 may bea still image or video recording device for use in locating the animal 3should it become lost or for use in creating a still image or videohistory of the animal's 3 comings and goings.

The animal worn device may include cellular phone transceiver 143 forallowing two-way communication over a cellular telephone network inplace of or in addition to the wireless transceiver 15.

Output devices that may be included in the animal-worn device 1 will nowbe discussed in detail with reference to FIG. 7.

The animal-worn device 1 may include the shock generator 33, whichgenerates electrical stimulus which may be used to get the attention ofthe animal 3 in order to correct undesirable behavior. The animal-worndevice 1 may include a spray module 34 that may be used as analternative corrective stimulus to spray a liquid or mist, such ascitronella, which the animal 3 may find unpleasant but not painful.Alternatively, the spray module 34 may be used to create a positivereinforcing stimulus by spraying a mist that the animal 3 findspleasant, for example steak aroma, when the animal 3 exhibits desirablebehavior.

The animal-worn device 1 may include an audio processor 35 that receivesaudio-encoded electronic signals from the main processor 18 andtranslates the electronic signals into voice and music quality audiooutput for broadcast by a speaker 36. The animal-worn device 1 mayinclude a tone generator 37 that receives audio-encoded electronicsignals from the main processor 18 and translates the electronic signalsinto discrete audio tones for audio broadcast by the speaker 36.Alternatively, the tone generator 37 may activate a dedicated outputdevice such as a piezoelectric transducer in place of the speaker 36.The audio tones generated by the tone generator 37 may be used by aperson training the animal 3 to communicate specific commands to theanimal 3. Each command may be associated with a discrete and uniqueaudio tone.

The animal-worn device 1 may include a lamp 38 that provides lightoutput used as a training stimulus, a status message to the human user,to illuminate the animal's 3 path at night or to locate the animal 3 inthe dark. The animal-worn device 1 may include a vibration generator 39that may consist of a small electric motor with an offset load at itsrotation shaft to create vibratory stimulus to be used to train theanimal 3. The animal-worn device 1 may include an auxiliary radiotransmitter 40 that may be used for specialized purposes apart from thetransceiver 15.

FIG. 7 also shows that the animal-worn device 1 includes a battery array29 to provide power to the animal-worn device 1. Typically, theoperating voltage required by commercially available microprocessors,such as may be used as the main processor 18, is lower than thatrequired for other outputs employed by the animal-worn device 1. Forexample, the shock generator 33 may require significantly higher voltagethan the main processor's 18 operating voltage. When operating both themain processor 18 and the shock generator 33 from a single battery, thevoltage needed to operate the main processor 18 may need to be steppeddown, resulting in energy loss and loss of practical battery life.Alternatively, operating the main processor 18 and the shock generator33 from separate batteries is possible, but may be impractical if itrequires the human user to replace two different batteries at differenttimes, or if both batteries are contained in a single battery pack, itlimits the useful battery life to that of the shortest lasting batteryand wastes the energy of the unspent battery. To address this issue, thebattery array 29 may include primary and secondary batteries 30, 31 anda switch 32. The primary battery 30 is sized to closely match therequired processor operating voltage of the main processor 18, forexample, 3 volts. The secondary battery 31 is sized so that when placedin series with the primary battery 30, the shock generator 33 issupplied with a higher, more optimum supply voltage. In this example,the secondary battery 31 is sized at 3 volts so that when in series withthe primary battery 31, 6 volts is delivered to the shock generator 33.In practice, selecting batteries of equal voltage is preferable for manybattery types, such as lithium batteries, however, different voltagebatteries may be used. The switch 32, which in this embodiment is a DPDTswitch, is operated by a series/parallel control signal provided by themain processor 18. With the switch 32 in its normal, non-activated,position, primary and secondary batteries 30, 31 are in parallelsupplying 3 volts to both the low voltage and high voltage circuits, inthis example, the main processor 18 and the shock generator 33. When themain processor 18 receives a command to activate the shock generator 33,it sends a control signal placing switch 32 in its activated position.This puts the primary and secondary batteries 30, 31 in series supplying6 volts to the shock generator 33 while taking the secondary battery 31out of the circuit supplying voltage to the main processor 18. In thisstate, 3 volts is supplied to the low voltage circuits (the mainprocessor 18) while simultaneously 6 volts is supplied to the highvoltage circuits (the shock generator 33). When the switch 32 isreturned to its non-activated position both the primary and secondarybatteries 30, 31 are placed in parallel and any difference in voltagebetween the two batteries caused by unequal current drain will quicklyequalize. This power circuit allows the normal operating voltage of theanimal-worn device 1 to be set at 3 volts with the ability to supply 6volts as needed for momentary power to the high voltage circuits withzero losses typical of conventional step up-step down voltagetechniques. This power circuit also facilities the use of components,such as a shock output transformer, which may be smaller in size andoperate more efficiently than lower voltage counterparts. While theprimary and secondary batteries 30, 31 each supply a voltage of 3 voltsin this example, other voltages are possible based on the needs of theanimal-worn device 1 and the main processor 18. Also, while thisembodiment is discussed with reference to the shock generator 33,similar power circuits can also be connected to other output devices orinput devices where a higher or lower voltage is needed.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of the remote transceiver 13. An antenna114, a transceiver 115, a wireless protocol processor 116 and adecryption module 117 are similar to the antenna 14, the transceiver 15,the wireless protocol processor 16 and the decryption module 17 of theanimal-worn device 1. Processor 111 may contain pre-programmed logic toexecute programs when the animal-worn device 1 comes within apredetermined distance. These programs may activate outputs at theanimal-worn device 1 or change the state of a remote transceiver switch112 from open to closed and vice versa. The remote transceiver switch112 may thereby control other selected apparatuses that may be switchcontrolled, such as electric lights, automatic food dispensers, radiosand the like. For example, the remote transceiver may be part of a petdoor such as the automatic pet door 12 to control the opening andclosing of the pet door 12 when the animal 3 is within the predetermineddistance. Alternatively, an analog control device may be used in placeof the switch 112 to control analog apparatuses.

FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of the animal-worn device 1 according toone embodiment. The animal-worn device 1 includes a casing 41 forhousing the electronic components. A strap 2 is provided for attachingthe device around the neck of the animal 3. In this embodiment, theshock electrodes 43 and 44 are provided for applying electrical stimulusgenerated by the shock generator 33 to the animal 3. The casing 41 maycontain a decorative cut-out 42, which may be filled with a translucentmaterial such as glass or clear plastic. The decorative cut-out 42 maybe shaped in the form of a logo or other meaningful design. The lamp 38,as shown in FIG. 7, may be placed inside the casing 41 such that thelight it emits will shine through the cut-out 42 and be visible to thehuman user. Although in this embodiment the cut-out is decorative, itmay also be a non-decorative, simple and/or functionally-shaped cut-out.In one embodiment, the animal-worn device's 1 main processor 18 canactivate the lamp 38 whenever a command is received from the wirelessmobile device 4 or other remote activating device.

The speaker 36 may be enclosed within the casing 41 and positioned infront of an opening such that acoustical emissions may be transmittedthrough the air. The speaker 36 may be of the commercially availablewaterproof variety and may be sealed to the casing 41 so as to preventwater leaking into the casing 41 should the animal 3 decide to immerseitself in a body of water.

FIG. 10 shows a rear perspective view of the animal-worn device 1 ofFIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 10, the animal-worn device 1 may include atleast one temperature sensor 20 placed at the back side of the casing 41to measure the animal's 3 body temperature. Additionally, at least onemicrophone 22 may be included to detect audible sounds uttered by theanimal 3, by a human or other sounds from the environment. The heartrate monitor 24 may be included to detect the animal's 3 pulse rate byemitting light from a light source 47 and detecting the backscatteringwith light detectors 45 and 46 using a known process whereby bloodvessels that contain a higher volume of blood absorb more light ofcertain frequencies than do blood vessels containing less blood. Asblood pulses through the veins of the animal 3, backscattered light ofcertain frequencies will be detected with varying amplitude, the rise orfall of amplitude following the pulse rate of the animal 3 yielding apulse rate equal to the heart rate of the animal 3. The resulting heartrate may be transmitted to the wireless mobile device 4 or stored in themain processor 18 for transmission at a later time. The heart rate ofthe animal 3 may be used by the wireless mobile device 4 in executingapplications relating to the health and fitness of the animal 3.

FIG. 11 shows the wireless mobile device 4 with a display screen 48displaying a list of pre-programmed applications that may be availablefor use when the wireless mobile device 4 is wirelessly paired to theanimal worn device 1. The wireless mobile device 4 may include anynumber of applications such as these which work wirelessly with theanimal-worn device 1. The listed applications, including “Training,”“Bark Control,” “Virtual Leash,” “Electronic Fence,” “Wireless Fence,”and “Fitness,” will be discussed in detail with respect to FIGS. 12-26below. These and similar applications may also be subroutines that areall part of the same application on the wireless mobile device 4.

FIGS. 12-16 show graphical interfaces and a representational diagram ofan embodiment of a “Training” application. The “Training” applicationuses point-to-point communication, via a protocol such as Bluetooth,between the wireless mobile device 4 and the animal-worn device 1 toallow the human user 68 to train and monitor the animal 3 in real time.The human user 68 may transmit training stimuli to the animal wearinganimal-worn device 1 while observing the animal in real time. Outputs atthe animal-worn device 1 may include positive stimulation to encouragecertain desired behaviors or negative stimulation to deter undesiredanimal behavior.

FIG. 12 shows a first training graphical interface 121 that may loadwhen the “Training” application is selected on the wireless mobiledevice 4. The “training” application may be stored in the wirelessmobile device's 4 internal memory and, when selected by the human user,may result in the first training graphical interface 121 being displayedon a graphic display panel 48 of the wireless mobile device 4. The firsttraining graphical interface 121 may include a status indicator 50 thatindicates the status of the connection between the wireless mobiledevice 4 and the animal-worn device 1. In one embodiment, a display of“GOOD” indicates that the wireless mobile device 4 is properly paired tothe animal-worn device 1 and display of “FAIL” indicates that the twodevices are not wirelessly communicating with each other. Other statusmessages may include “SENT” to indicate when a command is being sentfrom the wireless mobile device 4 and “ACKNOWLEDGE” to indicate that thecommand has been received by the animal-worn device 1 and that theanimal-worn device 1 has sent back a handshake signal to acknowledgereceipt and execution of the command.

The first training graphical interface 121 may include a connecteddevice indicator 51 that displays the name of the animal-worn device 1with which the wireless mobile device 4 is paired. A tone button array52 may also be included that includes virtual push buttons to activateunique audible command tones at the animal-worn device 1. Command tonesmay be discrete single frequency tones much like musical notes or may bemore complex pre-programmed audio outputs, examples of which may includethe various ring tones available on many commercially available cellulartelephones. The use of more complex tones may be more easilyidentifiable and distinguishable to the animal 4. A voice button array53 may include virtual push buttons that activate prerecorded voicecommands at the animal-worn device 1. The prerecorded voice commands maybe recorded at the wireless mobile device 4 and transmitted to theanimal-worn device 1 for digital storage in the main processor 18 or theaudio recorder 23. They may also be recorded directly into theanimal-worn device 1 using the microphone 22. A stimulus button array 54may be included on the first training graphical interface 121 thatincludes virtual push buttons that are used to activate electricalstimulus outputs at the electrodes 43 and 44 of the animal-worn device 1that are generated by the shock generator 33. A battery level indicator55 may also be included that graphically displays the battery chargelevel of the animal-worn device 1. Next, a screen slider 56 may beincluded to switch to additional graphical interfaces in the “Training”application, such as the second training graphical interface 122 shownin FIG. 13.

FIG. 13 shows a second training graphical interface 122 being displayedon the graphic display panel 48 of the wireless mobile device 4. Thesecond training graphical interface 122 may provide information relatedto the status of animal-worn devices 1 within the detection range of thewireless mobile device 4. In this embodiment, multiple animal-worndevices 1 are displayed, although multiple animal-worn devices 1 are notrequired. The second training graphical interface 122 may include astored device list 57 that displays the names of all previouslyconnected animal-worn devices 1 (that have not been removed by the humanuser). For wireless mobile devices 4 where the graphic display panel 48is a touchscreen, touching the name of one of the animal-worn devices 1on the stored device list 57 selects that animal-worn device 1. A removebutton 60 may be included on the second training graphical interface 122to allow the human user to remove the selected animal-worn device 1 fromstored device list 57. A rename button 61 may be included to allow thehuman user to rename the selected animal-worn device 1. Additionalfeatures and buttons may be included, such as a “Settings” button 62,which may advance the human user to a third training graphical interface123 on which setting information for the selected animal-worn device 1is provided. Although the second training graphical interface 122 isbeing described as part of the “Training” application, it may also be apart of any other application or subroutine or its own separateapplication or subroutine.

The second training graphical interface 122 may also include an activestatus indicator 58 that indicates the wireless status of eachanimal-worn device 1. A “Not Found” indication on the status indicator58 may indicate that the animal-worn device 1 is not detected. A “Found”indication may indicate that the animal-worn device 1 is detected butnot paired with the wireless mobile device 4. A “Connected” statusindication may indicate that the animal-worn device 1 is currentlypaired with the wireless mobile device. As an alternative to providingthe status indicator 58 for all animal-worn devices 1 simultaneously,the second graphic interface may provide only the status indicator 58for the selected animal-worn device 1.

FIG. 14 shows the third training graphical interface 123 being displayedon the graphic display panel 48 of the wireless mobile device 4. Thethird training graphical interface 123 may provide “Settings”information regarding the animal-worn device 1 selected on the secondtraining graphical interface 122. The “Settings” graphical interface 123may include the connected device indicator 51 to indicate the selectedanimal-worn device 1. “Settings” information may include buttons or thelike to allow the human user to set several individually selectablestimulus levels and durations for the selected animal-worn device 1. Forexample, “Settings” graphical interface 123 may include intensitybuttons 63 to allow the human user to select different intensity levelsfor the shock stimulus sent from the shock generator 33 to theelectrodes 43, 44 that are used to correct animal behavior. As analternative to or in addition to the intensity buttons 63, the“Settings” graphical interface 123 may include an intensity slider 65that allows the human user to fine tune the level of intensity bysliding a digital dial along the intensity slider 65 to increase ordecrease the level of intensity, which may be indicated by thepercentage level of the intensity. The “Settings” graphical interface123 may also include a duration slider 64 to allow the human user toselect the length of the shock stimulus sent from the shock generator33. The “Settings” graphical interface 123 may include “Record Command”options 66 to allow the human user to record commands that can be sentto the animal 3 via the audio processor 35 and speaker 36 so that thehuman user can provide the animal 3 with a voice command at a latertime. For example, this can be used when the animal 3 is at a distanceto allow the human user to provide the voice command through theanimal-worn device 1. The “Settings” graphical interface 123 may includea return button 67 to allow the human user to return to a previousgraphical interface, such as the first training graphical interface 121or the second training graphical interface 122. Although, in the aboveembodiments, specific interface features are described as being buttonsor sliders, the graphical features described as buttons may be replacedwith sliders and vice versa and either may be substituted with any otherknown graphical interface feature as would be known to a person ofordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 15 shows the human user 68 using the speaker 36 to provide thevoice command to the animal 3 according to this embodiment of the“Training” application. This embodiment allows the human 68 tocommunicate with the animal 3 via a walkie-talkie type arrangement usingthe voice receiving ability of the wireless mobile device 4. The“Training” application in the wireless mobile device 4 may allow thehuman 68 to speak voice commands into the wireless mobile device 4 andthen wirelessly transmit the voice commands to the animal-worn device 1via one of the communication protocols previously described. Theanimal-worn device 1 may receive the wireless transmission and relay thevoice command via the audio processer 35 to the speaker 36. Theanimal-worn device 1 may then send an acknowledgement back to thewireless mobile device 4 indicating that the incoming signal wasreceived and that the voice command was communicated by the speaker 36.

FIG. 16 shows a fourth training graphical interface 124 that may bedisplayed when the human 68 is using the “Training” applicationdescribed in FIG. 15. The fourth training graphical interface 124 mayinclude the connected device indicator 51 to indicate the selectedanimal-worn device 1 that will receive the voice commands. The fourthtraining graphical interface 124 may include the status indicator 50that indicates the status of the connection between the wireless mobiledevice 4 and the animal-worn device 1. The status indicator 50 may alsoindicate if the voice command has been successfully sent and played bythe animal-worn device 1. The fourth training graphical interface 124may also include “Tone Command” options 52 to allow the human 68 totransmit prerecorded tones and/or audio outputs to the animal 3. Theprerecorded tones may be, for example, tones imbedded in the “Training”application or tones uploaded or recorded by the human user. The fourthtraining graphical interface 124 may include “Stimulus” options 54 toallow the human 68 to transmit predetermined stimuli. The levels of the“Stimulus” options 54 may be determined by the human user's selectionson the third training graphical interface 123. The fourth traininggraphical interface 124 may also include a “Push-to-Talk” button 69,which is similar to a walkie-talkie feature, that allows the human 68 totransmit real-time voice commands to the animal 3. “Push-to-Talk” button69 may be depressed immediately before the voice command is enunciated.Once spoken, the voice command is sent to the animal-worn device 1. Thefourth training graphical interface 124 may include the next screenslider 56 to switch to additional graphical interfaces in the “Training”application. The battery level indicator 55 may also be included thatgraphically displays the battery charge level of the animal-worn device1.

FIGS. 17-18 show graphical interfaces and a representational diagram ofan embodiment of a “Bark Control” application. The “Bark Control”application may be used to train the animal 3 to refrain from certaintypes of unwanted barking and/or growling while allowing others.

FIG. 17 shows a first bark control graphical interface 131 beingdisplayed on the graphic display panel 48 of the wireless mobile device4 that may load when the “Bark Control” application is selected on thewireless mobile device 4. The first bark control graphical interface 131may be for controlling different types of barking by selecting the barkto be controlled and selecting the type of stimulus to be used tocontrol that type of barking. A bark mode selector 70 may be includedthat allows the human user to select the type of barks that are to becontrolled. For example, the human user may select an option on the barkmode selector 70 that focuses on controlling howling (e.g., “Anti-Howl”)or that focuses on controlling barking in general (e.g., “Anti-Bark”).The bark mode selector 70 may also include options to allow specifictypes of barking without receiving a stimulus (e.g., “Allow ExcitedBarking”). A stimulus mode selector 71 may be included that allows thehuman user to select the type of stimulus to be generated in response tothe selected type of bark. For example, the human user may be able toselect options such as “Shock Only,” “Tone Only” or “Tone and Shock” andother possible stimuli that can be selected to occur when the selectedbarking occurs. The first bark control graphical interface 131 may alsoinclude different buttons or sliders to control the level and intensityof a stimulus. For example, the interface 131 may include a progressivestep slider 72, a maximum duration slider 73, and/or a maximum intensityslider 74 to control characteristics of a shock stimulus. Theprogressive step slider 72 may allow the human user to control the rateof increase in the level of the shock stimulus that occurs if the animal3 continues to utter the selected bark. The maximum duration slider 73may allow the human user to control the maximum length of time for whichthe shock stimulus persists. The maximum intensity slider 74 may allowthe human user to control the maximum level of intensity of the shockstimulus that is given to the animal 3. These sliders or other sliders,buttons or the like may be included that allow the human user to controlthe characteristics of the stimulus or stimuli to be given to the animal3.

The first bark control graphical interface 131 may also include theconnected device indicator 51 to indicate the animal-worn device 1 thathas been selected, such as via the second training graphical interface122 or similar graphical interface included in the “Bark Control”application. It may also include the status indicator 50 that indicatesthe status of the connection between the wireless mobile device 4 andthe animal-worn device 1. The battery level indicator 55 may also beincluded that graphically displays the battery charge level of theanimal-worn device 1. The first bark control graphical interface 131 mayinclude the next screen slider 56 to switch to additional graphicalinterfaces in the “Bark Control” application.

FIG. 18 shows a second bark control graphical interface 132 that may bedisplayed on the graphic display panel 48 of the wireless mobile device4. The second bark control graphical interface 132 displays oneembodiment of a graphical representation of the bark history of theanimal 3. Similar graphical representations including charts, tables orthe like may be included in the “Bark Control” application to show theprogress of the animal 3 over the course of the bark control training Inthis embodiment, the second bark control graphical interface 132 shows aline graph 75 representing the number of barks by the animal 3 that haveoccurred on a daily basis throughout the month of January. Other similargraphs may be included, such as representing the number of barks over adifferent period of time, such as hourly, monthly or annually, orrepresenting specific types of bark over time, or comparing differenttypes of barks by the animal 3. The “Bark Control” application may alsobe able to send alerts, such as via email, SMS, website postings (e.g.,Facebook, Twitter, etc.) or instant messaging, alerting the user thatthe animal is barking. These alerts may include information regardingthe type of barking, such as whether the barking is excited, excessiveor whether the animal is howling.

FIGS. 19-21 show graphical interfaces and representational diagrams ofan embodiment of a “Leash Control” application. Using RSSI or otherranging techniques, the “Leash Control” application may alert the humanuser 68 when the animal 3 has strayed beyond a predetermined range ofseparation between the wireless mobile device 4 and the animal-worndevice 1. Stimulus may be applied to the animal via outputs at theanimal-worn device 1 to encourage the animal 3 to return to a positionwithin the predetermined range. This may be especially useful when thehuman 68 is physically training with the animal 3, for example, when thehuman 68 and the animal 3 are running side by side or the animal 3 isrunning alongside the human 68 who is riding a bicycle. This “Leash”application along with the animal-worn device 1 avoids the need for aphysical leash.

FIG. 19 shows an example of the human 68 using the “Leash Control”application to tether the animal 3 while jogging. In this embodiment,the wireless mobile device 4 can emit a radio signal 76 and the “LeashControl” application uses the RSSI of the emitted radio signal 76 todetermine a distance d of the wireless mobile device 4 from theanimal-worn device 1. Although in this embodiment the wireless mobiledevice 4 is emitting the radio signal 76, an auxiliary transmittingdevice may also be used to emit the radio signal 76. Using the RSSI, the“Leash Control” application allows human user to select a predeterminedboundary 77 and if the animal-worn device 1 moves farther from thewireless mobile device 4 than the predetermined boundary 77, specificoutputs can be triggered or deactivated. For example, if the animal-worndevice 1 moves outside the predetermined boundary 77, the animal-worndevice 1 may send a stimulus to the animal 3, such as a shock stimulusvia the electrodes 43, 44. The radio signal 76 used to create thepredetermined boundary 77 may use the same frequency as for datatransmission or the boundary signal may be transmitted separately usinga frequency conducive to the particular RSSI decoding techniqueemployed. Although this embodiment is in effect while the human 68 isjogging, the “Leash Control” application may also be used when the human68 is performing any of a variety of activities, including walking,hiking or biking.

FIG. 20 shows a first leash control graphical interface 141 that may bedisplayed on the graphic display panel 48 of the wireless mobile device4. The first leash control graphical interface 141 may provideinformation regarding the relative position of the animal 3 to thepredetermined boundary 77. For example, the first leash controlgraphical interface 141 may provide a pictorial representation of theanimal 3 relative to the predetermined boundary 77 via a graphicalrepresentation of the predetermined boundary 77, in this examplerepresented by the line 78, and a graphical representation of theanimal-worn device 1, in this example represented by the dot 79.Although a line and a dot are used in this example, other symbols orshapes may be used, including, for example, a small animal cartoon torepresent the animal 3. The first leash control graphical interface 141may also include a boundary status indicator 80 to indicate whether theanimal 3 is within or outside of the predetermined boundary 77, such asby using different colored textual statements.

The first leash control graphical interface 141 may include the statusindicator 50 that indicates the status of the connection between thewireless mobile device 4 and the animal-worn device 1. The first leashcontrol graphical interface 141 may include the connected deviceindicator 51 to indicate the animal-worn device 1 that has beenselected, such as via the second training graphical interface 122 orsimilar graphical interface included in the “Leash Control” application.The battery level indicator 55 may also be included that graphicallydisplays the battery charge level of the animal-worn device 1. Thescreen slider 56 may be included to switch to additional graphicalinterfaces in the “Leash Control” application.

FIG. 21 shows a second leash control graphical interface 142 that may bedisplayed on the graphic display panel 48 of the wireless mobile device4. The second leash control graphical interface 142 may include setupinformation to allow the human user to configure the settings of the“Virtual Leash” application. A distance slider 81 may be included toallow the human user to select the distance from the wireless mobiledevice 4 where the predetermined boundary 77 will exist. The durationslider 64 may be included to allow the human user to select the lengthof the shock stimulus or other stimulus sent from the shock generator33, the tone generator 37, etc. The intensity slider 65 may be includedto allow the human user to fine tune the level of intensity by slidingthe digital dial along the intensity slider 65 to increase or decreasethe level of intensity, which may be indicated by the percentage levelof the intensity. The second leash control graphical interface 142 mayalso include the connected device indicator 51 to indicate theanimal-worn device 1 that has been selected. The second leash controlgraphical interface 142 may include the return button 67 to allow thehuman user to return to a previous graphical interface, such as thefirst leash control graphical interface 141.

FIG. 22 is a representational diagram of an animal containment systemthat may be controlled by an “Electronic Fence” application on thewireless mobile device 4. This embodiment uses a wire perimeter antenna84 that may emit a low frequency radio field around the wire perimeterantenna 84 based on inputs from an RF transmitter 82. The RF transmitter82 may be controlled by the wireless mobile device 4 via a wirelessprotocol transceiver 83 that communicates with the wireless mobiledevice 4. The wireless mobile device 4 may communicate with the wirelessprotocol transceiver 83 through any of the communication protocolsdiscussed above, including Bluetooth and WiFi. Through the “ElectronicFence” application on the wireless mobile device 4, the human user 68may instruct the animal-worn device 1 to activate a stimulus, such as ashock or tone output, whenever the animal 3 comes within the radio fieldof the perimeter antenna 84. The human user 68 may also be able toinstruct the animal-worn device 1 to activate different stimuli based onthe proximity of the animal 3 to the wire perimeter antenna 84 withinthe radio field. The “Electronic Fence” application may be capable ofactivating the RF transmitter 82, controlling the width of the radiofield emitted by the wire perimeter antenna 84, and/or controlling theintensity, duration and other attributes of the stimulus to be given tothe animal when it comes within the radio field of the perimeter antenna84. The “Electronic Fence” application may also store informationregarding the number of times the animal 3 breached the radio field ofthe perimeter antenna 84 and display that information to the human user68 on the wireless mobile device 4. The “Electronic Fence” applicationmay also be able to send alerts, such as via email, SMS, websitepostings or instant messaging, alerting the user that the animal hasbreached the fence perimeter.

FIG. 23 is a representational diagram of an animal containment systemthat may be controlled by a “Wireless Fence” application on the wirelessmobile device 4. A wireless fence transmitter 86, 87, or 88 may emit aradio signal 76 and the “Wireless Fence” application uses the RSSI ofthe emitted radio signal 76 to determine a distance of the wirelessmobile device 4 from the animal-worn device 1. Using the RSSI, the“Wireless Fence” application allows the human user to select apredetermined boundary 77 and if the animal-worn device 1 moves fartherfrom the wireless mobile device 4 than the predetermined boundary 77,specific outputs can be triggered or deactivated. For example, if theanimal-worn device 1 moves outside the predetermined boundary 77, theanimal-worn device 1 may send a stimulus to the animal 3, such as ashock stimulus via the electrodes 43, 44. Time of flight and otherwireless localizing techniques may be employed to locate the animal-worndevice 1 relative to the wireless fence transmitter 86, 87, or 88 andsend the location data to the wireless mobile device 4. In the currentembodiment, the wireless fence transmitter 86, 87, or 88 is installed ata house 85, however, the wireless fence transmitter 86, 87, or 88 may beinstalled at any area where containment of the animal 3 is desired.

FIG. 23 provides three alternative wireless fence transmitters that mayemit the radio signal 76: a single antenna wireless fence transmitter86, a dual antenna wireless fence transmitter 87 or a radial loopwireless fence transmitter 88. The single antenna wireless fencetransmitter 86 has a single antenna and may emit the same type of radiosignal as is used by the wireless mobile device 4. For example, thesingle antenna wireless fence transmitter 86 may emit a Bluetooth orWiFi signal as the radio signal 76. In addition, the single antennawireless fence transmitter 86 may have RSSI built into the transmitter.Using the same radio signal for containment and communication providesnumerous advantages including reducing the number of system components.

The dual antenna wireless fence transmitter 87 has two antennae and mayemit the same type of radio signal as is used by the wireless mobiledevice 4. For example, the dual antenna wireless fence transmitter 87may emit a Bluetooth or WiFi signal as the radio signal 76. In addition,the dual antenna wireless fence transmitter 87 may have RSSI build intothe transmitter. The two antennae of the dual antenna wireless fencetransmitter 87 are spaced by at least half a wavelength, which can helpincrease the consistency of the containment system by preventing theoccurrence of nodes which could create localized “holes” in the wirelessfence. In a particular embodiment, the use of two antennae also allowsfor a reduction of the multipath effect. Multipath refers to the factthat a reflected signal will have a longer path getting from atransmitter to a receiver than would a direct signal. Depending on thefrequency and the geometry of the situation, the two signals may be inphase and additive, producing a high RSSI, or may be out of phase andsubtractive producing a low RSSI, or may be any phase between the two.For a given geometry there will be a frequency which is additive, andother frequency which is subtractive. The difference in these twofrequencies becomes less as the distance of the direct signal becomesgreater. In one particular communication protocol, Bluetooth BLE,frequency hops over a large enough range of frequencies that at leastone additive and one subtractive channel are usually available for anygeometry with a direct path distance longer than 50 feet. At shorterdistances where signal strength is very high, accurate RSSI is notneeded because the pet is well within the containment boundary.

The multipath effect of direct and reflected RF signals makes itdifficult to estimate distance between a transmitter and receiver usingjust the magnitude of RSSI at the receiver. This is especially true inthe 2.4 GHz frequency band where a wavelength is only about 5 inches.However, using multiple antennae in addition to, in one embodiment,taking advantage of the frequency hopping property of BlueTooth LowEnergy 4.0 communications at 2.4 GHz, helps to mitigate the phasecancellation effect by keeping a history of the reported signal strengthfor each band compared to the average of all bands, and predicting foreach band the ratio of its signal strength versus the average. Thisallows the animal-worn transmitter 1 to operate as an RF containmentsystem by sensing the approximate distance from a central Bluetoothtransmitter, such as the dual antenna wireless fence transmitter 87. Ifthe distance is too great, the collar may produce various stimuli whichinstruct the pet to return to an acceptable distance, thus implementinga containment system with a circular invisible fence centered at theBluetooth transmitter.

The radial loop wireless fence transmitter 88 is a known type oftransmitter in the field including three loop antennas each on adifferent axis. The radial loop wireless fence transmitter 88 uses a lowfrequency signal that may be lower than 100 kHz, or even lower than 20kHz. With such low frequencies, the radio signal 76 emitted by theradial loop wireless fence transmitter 88 can penetrate through mostobjects, such as the house 85. In addition, using three loop antennaecan increase the signal strength by summing the signal strengths alongthe three axes.

In a further embodiment, the radio signal 76 of any of the abovedescribed containment systems may act as a beacon to activate a GPSlocator 26 in the animal-worn device 1 when the signal strength of theradio signal 76 decreases below a predetermined threshold.

FIGS. 24-26 show graphical interfaces and a representational diagram ofan embodiment of a “Fitness” application. The “Fitness” application mayallow the human 68 to conduct exercise sessions with the animal 3wearing the animal-worn device 1 and to observe the fitness and vitalsigns of the animal as the session progresses. Software in the wirelessmobile device 4 may analyze data generated at the animal-worn device 1and advise the human when the training level needs adjustment in orderto maintain a desired heart rate, calorie burn or other benchmarkfitness criteria. The “Fitness” application may also allow the humanuser to physically train along with the animal and display datapertaining to the exercise level of both the animal 3 and the human 68.

FIG. 24 shows a first fitness graphical interface 151 being displayed onthe graphic display panel 48 of the wireless mobile device 4 that mayload when the “Fitness” application is selected on the wireless mobiledevice 4. The first fitness graphical interface 151 may provide afitness calculator to estimate the overall body mass index (BMI) of theanimal 3 based on information input by the human user. The first fitnessgraphical interface 151 may include a name input field 90 where thehuman user may input the name of the animal 3. A breed input field 91may be included where the human user may choose the breed of the animalfrom a pull-down list. An age input field 92 may be included where thehuman user may input the age of the animal 3. A weight input field 93may be included where the human user may input the weight of the animal3. A gender selection field 94 may be included where the human user mayselect the gender of the animal 3. A height input field 95 may beincluded where the human user may input the height of the animal 3. Thefirst fitness graphical interface 151 may include a “Calculate” buttonthat when pressed after the human user has input the above information,will initiate instructions stored in the “Fitness” application tocalculate the EMI of the animal 3 and display the calculated BMI on theBMI display 97. The instruction stored in the “Fitness” application maycalculate BMI based on all or some of the information input by the humanuser. Additional input fields may be included in order to more preciselycalculate the BMI of the animal 3. The first fitness graphical interface151 may also include a fitness level display 98, which provides ageneral statement of the animal's fitness based on the BMI or otherinput information. The fitness level display 98 may include statementssuch as “Overweight,” “Healthy,” or “Underweight” as a generalassessment of the animal's overall health. The first fitness graphicalinterface 151 may include the screen slider 56 that allows the humanuser to switch to additional graphical interfaces in the “Fitness”application.

FIG. 25 shows a second fitness graphical interface 152 being displayedon the graphic display panel 48 of the wireless mobile device 4. Thesecond fitness graphical interface 152 may monitor exercise informationregarding the animal 3 in real-time when the animal 3 is performing anexercise routine. It may provide buttons such as a start/pause button102 to allow the human user to begin or pause the exercise routine. Itmay also include a “done” button 103 that ends the exercise routine.During the animal's 3 exercise routine, the second fitness graphicalinterface 152 may provide statistics regarding the animal's 3performance in an exercise data array 100. The exercise data array 100may include statistics of the exercise routine, such as the animal's 3heart rate, percentage of heart rate relative to maximum heart rate,internal temperature, current pace, average pace, distance traveled,time elapsed and calories burned. The second fitness graphical interface152 may also include an exercise level indicator 101 that displaysrecommendations as to whether the animal's 3 exercise level should beincreased or decreased based on some or all the statistics in theexercise data array 100 and/or the input fields from the first fitnessgraphical interface 151 and outputs a recommendation to advise the human68 as to when the training level needs adjustment in order to maintain adesired heart rate, calorie burn or other benchmark fitness criteria.For example, recommendations may be determined by comparing targettraining levels, which may be based on information input on the firstgraphical interface 151, to the animal's real-time activity level.

The second fitness graphical interface 152 may also include theconnected device indicator 51 to indicate the animal-worn device 1 thathas been selected. It may include the status indicator 50 that indicatesthe status of the connection between the wireless mobile device 4 andthe animal-worn device 1. It may also include the battery levelindicator 55 that graphically displays the battery charge level of theanimal-worn device 1.

FIG. 26 shows a third fitness graphical interface 153 being displayed onthe graphic display panel 48 of the wireless mobile device 4. The thirdfitness graphical interface 153 may monitor exercise informationregarding both the human 68 and the animal 3 in real-time when both theanimal 3 and the human 68 are performing a tandem exercise routine. Itmay provide buttons such as a start/pause button 102 to allow the human68 to begin or pause the tandem exercise routine. It may also include a“done” button 103 that ends the tandem exercise routine. During theanimal's 3 exercise routine, the third fitness graphical interface 153may provide statistics regarding the animal's 3 performance and thehuman's 68 performance in a tandem exercise data array 104. The tandemexercise data array 104 may include statistics and information regardingthe tandem exercise routine, such as the time elapsed and the activitybeing performed (e.g., running, biking, hiking or walking), the distancetraveled, the current pace, the average pace, the heart rate, thepercentage of heart rate relative to maximum heart rate, the caloriesburned and the exercise level for both the animal 3 and the human 68.The third fitness graphical interface 153 may also include a messagefield 105 that may provide warnings or progress reports on either orboth of the animal 3 or the human 68. For example, messages in themessage field 105 may include recommendations generated by software inthe “Fitness” application that analyzes some or all the statistics inthe tandem exercise data array 104 and/or the input fields from thefirst fitness graphical interface 151 and outputs a message to advisethe human 68 as to when the training level needs adjustment in order tomaintain a desired heart rate, calorie bum or other benchmark fitnesscriteria.

The third fitness graphical interface 153 may also include the connecteddevice indicator 51 to indicate the animal-worn device 1 that has beenselected. It may include the status indicator 50 that indicates thestatus of the connection between the wireless mobile device 4 and theanimal-worn device 1. It may also include the battery level indicator 55that graphically displays the battery charge level of the animal-worndevice 1.

FIG. 27 is a block diagram of a firmware upload from the wireless mobiledevice 4 to the animal-worn device 1. The embodiments described abovemay use the approach described in FIG. 27 to load and update firmwarefrom the wireless mobile device 4 to the animal-worn device 1 to avoidpotential firmware update issues that may occur when updating theanimal-worn device 1 through the wireless mobile device 4. When using awireless protocol, such as Bluetooth low energy BLE, with itscharacteristically low data rate and limited range, using a conventionalboot loader program to upgrade firmware wirelessly can be inconvenientand risky. The lengthy time required to slowly pass kilobytes of data bysuch conventional means could render the animal-worn receiver 1 unusablefor a significant time. Additionally, signal loss or power loss couldcause the firmware download to halt or be corrupted, requiring a restartof the entire firmware upgrade process. This problem can be addressed bymaintaining two isolated sections of program memory in the animal-worndevice's 1 main processor, one for the current firmware which maycontinue to run throughout the upgrade process, and another in which thenew firmware version is to be loaded. This allows the animal worntransceiver 1 to keep performing all its functions of running thecurrent firmware while the new firmware is slowly transmitted over thewireless link. When the download is complete, the animal worntransceiver's 1 processor overwrites startup and interrupt vectors topoint to the new firmware. If ever the new firmware is unstable, bootloader software in the animal-worn device's 1 processor can beconfigured to detect the fault and switch back to the previous firmwareversion by rewriting the previous vectors. Multiple upgrades of thefirmware may be accommodated by placing the succeeding version in acurrently unused block of program memory, always preserving the latestversions of firmware.

As shown in FIG. 27, data regarding the firmware is loaded on thewireless mobile device 4 (S2) and then individual packets of firmwareare loaded (S3) and sent (S4) to the animal-worn device 1. Such packetsmay be transmitted, for example, using Bluetooth 4.0 BLE. Each packet ofdata has a length (in this example the length is 20 bytes but otherlengths are possible) and may include a message identifier code, a ROMaddress of the first byte of code in the packet, the number of firmwarebytes in the packet—for example, from 1 to 15 bytes—and the actual bytesof data. Boot loader software in the animal-worn device's processor 1Ainstalls each packet of firmware (S5) into the processor's 1A internalFlash ROM starting at an included starting address. If every byte issuccessfully installed, the boot loader software sends anacknowledgement message requesting the next bytes (S6, S3). If not, itsends a message requesting the previous data (S6, S4). The boot loadersoftware may specify any starting address for the next 15 firmwarebytes, thus allowing for reprograming of an entire block of ROM shouldan earlier written byte of data be erased, for example during a powerfailure. This robustness also allows for the fixing or adjusting of codeerrors to a great degree without sending an entire new firmware file.

Prior to starting the firmware download, a unique “start download” datapacket is sent by the wireless mobile device 4 (S1) and received at theanimal-worn device 1 indicating the start of the firmware upgrade. The“start download” packet specifies the total number of firmware bytes tobe transferred and a checksum of all the bytes to be transferred.Subsequent to the last byte of firmware being downloaded, and when thereare no additional packets to be transferred (S7), a unique “enddownload” packet is sent by the wireless mobile device 4 (S8) with thechecksum again included. The animal-worn device's 1 processor comparesthe starting checksum to the ending checksum and the actual checksum ofall the bytes loaded into ROM memory (S10). If all three checksumsmatch, the upgrade is deemed successful and the vectors are rewritten tostart execution of the new firmware (S11). The boot loader software maysend a “success” (S12) or “failed” (S10, S1) message to the wirelessmobile device 4. If successful, a “Install Successful” message can bedisplayed on the wireless mobile device's 4 display screen (S13). If theinstallation fails, the wireless mobile device 4 may repeat the upgradeprocess a predetermined number of times (S10, S1) before displaying afailed status message on the wireless mobile device's 4 display screenand halting the firmware upgrade process.

While the present invention has been described in connection withcertain exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is instead intended tocover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included withinthe spirit and scope of the of the appended claims, and equivalentsthereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for updating firmware on a wirelesssystem comprising a device for an animal and a preprogrammed computerapplication configured to run on a wireless mobile device that isconfigured to wirelessly communicate with the device for the animal,comprising: locating and downloading an external new firmware file froma server to the wireless mobile device, and wirelessly transferring thenew firmware file to the device for the animal.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein the new firmware file is transferred to a first electroniclocation in a processor in the device for the animal, said firstelectronic location being separate from a second electronic location inthe processor wherein a current firmware file is located.
 3. The methodof claim 2, further comprising: running the processor on a currentinstruction set of a current firmware file, and switching the processorfrom running on the current instruction set to running on a newinstruction set of the new firmware file while keeping the currentfirmware file intact.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:sending an initial checksum of all data bytes contained in the newfirmware file from the mobile device to the device for the animal priorto transferring the new firmware file, sending a final checksum of alldata bytes contained in the new firmware file from the wireless mobiledevice to the device for the animal after transferring of the newfirmware file, calculating at the device for the animal an actualchecksum of all data bytes received by the device for the animal for thenew firmware file; comparing the initial checksum, the actual checksumand the final checksum; and running the new firmware file if the initialchecksum, the actual checksum and the final checksum are identical. 5.The method of claim 1, further comprising restructuring the new firmwareat the server based upon information received from the animal device. 6.The method of claim 1, further comprising sending messages from theserver to the device for the animal.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising sending messages from the server to the wireless mobiledevice.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending input datafrom the device for the animal to an external device in real time. 9.The method of claim 8 wherein the external device is the mobile device.10. The method of claim 8 wherein the external device is the server. 11.The method of claim 8 wherein the external device is a router.
 12. Themethod of claim 8 wherein the external device is an internet server. 13.A method of wirelessly communicating from a device for an animal havingone or more inputs and outputs, a transceiver and processor comprisingsending message data in real time from the device for the animal basedupon input data received by the one or more inputs to an externaldevice.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the external device is amobile phone.
 15. The method of claim 13 wherein the external device isa server.
 16. The method of claim 13 wherein the external device is arouter.
 17. The method of claim 13 wherein the external device is aninternet server.
 18. The method of claim 13 wherein the message data isa pre-recorded voice message.
 19. The method of claim 13 wherein themessage data is a text message.
 20. The method of claim 14 furthercomprising sending a signal from the external device to the device foran animal and upon receipt of the signal sending an acknowledgmentsignal from the device for the animal back to the external device. 21.The method of claim 14 further comprising illuminating a lamp on thedevice for the animal upon receipt of the signal from the externaldevice.
 22. The method of claim 13 wherein the external device triggersoutputs at the device for the animal
 23. The method of claim 22 whereinsaid outputs at the device for the animal are triggered when the devicefor the animal comes within a predetermined distance from the externaldevice.
 24. The method of claim 13 wherein the device for the animaltriggers outputs at the external device.
 25. The method of claim 24wherein the device for the animal triggers outputs at the externaldevice when the device for the animal comes within a predetermineddistance from the external device.